Going green...

A rully rendered house!   It is between coats of paint, hence slight difference in colour.  Needs at least one more coat,  the porch bit, not the rest of it.   The sandpaper worked a treat,  wasn't too difficult to cut either, and cheaper than using the proper render.

I'm now, as you can see, putting in the windows. They come in two bits, inner frame and outer frame, with the acetate sandwiched in the middle.  It makes it easier to put them in place, as the inner bit is a bit smaller, so they just slot in neatly. 

The whole house, looks the part now.  I've now order the roof tiles, and some kitchen furniture, and an outside loo.  The order is now on its way to me.  Fantastic service from Petite Properties, will be writing them a very good review soon.   I also spotted the next house I want to build..  oh dear.  They are just too tempting.  It won't be happening until this little cottage is complete. 

There is still the roof to tile,  and all the outside decoration to go on.  The window frames need to be varnished, oh and the chimneys put into place.   So lots still to do.    I've just about painted all the little bits that go round the windows,  I had very green fingers by the end of it. 

I've made a step for outside the front door, which is to be distressed, same will apply to the kitchen door.  


I remember my mum, and all the other housewives in the street, scrubbing the step every week.  Then every summer the backyard would be whitewashed.   On Petite Properites website I spotted a little cooker similar to the one we had, and which lasted over 30 years!   I kid you not,  mum only agreed to replace it when we could no longer find replacement taps for it.  Every gas engineer who came couldn't believe that we still had this ancient cooker.   I even remember when the country switched to North sea gas, and all the palava that went with it.   We also had a gas meter, it was in the cellar, I hated going down to put money in it, then every week a man would come and empty it.  Ah, the good old days, not,  I prefer central heating, thank you.  Oh and double glazing.  It was no fun getting up on a freezing cold morning in the winter with no heating in the bedroom, and ice often on the inside of the window.  Then there as the smell of the paraffin heater, yuck. 

However we did have a high street packed full of shops,  butchers, fruit and veg, deli,  cake shop, shoe shops... all you needed in one place. What a novelty to just walk to the shops. Which we could as we only lived one street away from the high street.  There was also a lovely chippy on the corner, they made the most delicious scallops, no not the fishy ones, these were rounds of potatoes deep fried then drowned in salt and vinegar.   I read in the paper last week that people are starting to eat bread and dripping,  my dad loved it, I hated it.   I didn't mind fried bread with a full English, which we had on Christmas morning.   Yep, chips cooked in fat,  roasties in dripping... how did we survive? 

I've got a gateleg table to go in the kitchen,  and found a bed similar to the one mum and dad had. When we moved mum got lots of new furniture,  but me and my sister ended up with old beds.  Then aged 16 my back 'went', it seized up,  very odd for a 16 year old,  the bed was ditched and mum got me a brand new one, oh and one for my sister.   Then I got the bedroom to myself as my sister decided to go and work in a hotel down south.  It was lovely having a whole room to myself.   Little did I know that in a couple of years it would be me heading down to Guildford to start my army training, and my sister returning home.  My brother never left home till he married,  it wasn't so bad except he liked James Last, and played the records continually - just no street cred.

Staying close to home at the moment,  my back is very sore,  msut have tweaked it at some point.  So I'm in a lot of pain,  and my joints are also sore and stiff.  Has to be the weather.  Poor Harvey got a shock earlier, he wanted to go out, so off we went, down the stairs, I tried warning him that it was wet, but no, he wanted to go out,  until I opened the door, then he stood and watched the rain come down.  He's not a happy cat,  his girlfriend attempted to swipe his food,  I chased her, he chased her, so he did get wet! 

More tales from Teacup cottage, yes I realised that I'd got the name wrong, though I think I prefer Teapot cottage, tomorrow.   With green fingers no doubt.